Back in Minneapolis for a while, so I thought I'd snap a few pics of the new Minnesota Twins ballpark on this unusually balmy 65-degree Sunday in March.
Target Plaza (next to
Target Field and across from
Target Center, in this city of all things
Target), is now open to the public. The stadium officially opens on April 12th with a game against Boston.
Approaching the ballpark from the 1st Avenue entertainment district. A long walkway brings you above the side street and onto Target Plaza:
As you approach the plaza, you'll pass under one of the existing skyways that connect to the massive "B" Parking Ramp on the right. Downtown Minneapolis is almost entirely connected by 8+ miles of skyways, and you could walk from your office across town to the ballpark without ever touching the ground:
The plaza opens up to reveal 40-foot-high topiary "baseball bat" sculptures:
On the right is a 60x248-foot kinetic sculpture installed on the side of the B Ramp:
While it doesn't look like much in the picture, this video I took today shows the sculpture in action...
• Video Link
The entire lighting system for the field is contained within the flying canopy over the seats. There are no other free-standing light poles.
The stone is locally-quarried Mankato limestone, which reminds me of perfectly toasted bread
:
The Pro Shop:
The main ticketing area, with the Wind Veil in the background:
This glass sculpture is screen-printed with images from past Twins facilities:
And finally, looking back toward downtown:
And one shot of the 5th Street side of the park. The stadium contains both a Light-Rail and Heavy-Rail commuter station: